Ching Man Charmaine Wan (She/Her)

Biology Student, Imperial College London
Sophie Morris

Student Laidlaw Scholar, Durham University

Hi, my name is Sophie! I'm a second year Bsc Geography undergraduate at Durham University. My research project this summer is a pilot study investigating the effect of e-cigarette and cigarette exposure on prenatal development, focussing on upper facial movement. I hope to obtain an understanding of the potential implications to healthcare policymaking regarding maternal use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. I am driven to take action to improve the lives of others, and therefore motivated to understand the impact of maternal actions on the lives of the younger generations and actions that can prevent negative impacts.  I really enjoy spending time outdoors, either walking or running. I also love to travel and explore new places! My favourite way to spend time with friends is to visit a café and have a good catch up over a coffee! 
Cassidy Plautz

BSc Natural Sciences, Durham University

I am in the final year of a bachelor's degree in Physics & Chemistry at @Durham University, with interest in researching interdisciplinary solutions to anthropogenic climate change and pollution. In my first summer as a Laidlaw Scholar, I developed biosourced polymers for use in laundry detergents, producing a compound with promising performance compared to industry standards. This summer I will be working with @Under the Wave Organisation to help monitor and run a sea cucumber farm to promote sustainable agriculture in Zanzibar.
Jasmine Appelboom

Undergraduate, Durham University

Hello! I am a 3rd year undergrad studying biological sciences at Durham University, England. I am interested in the applications of cell biology and genetics in conservation, with a particular focus on ornithology. Last summer I researched Little Tern conservation at three sites in England and Wales, focusing on the management techniques used and the relative breeding success of pairs at each site. This summer I am volunteering at a bird observatory in Sweden, assisting with the ringing of songbirds.
Elisabeth Cooke

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Student, Durham University

Hi! I'm Lizzie, a second-year Biological Sciences student at Durham University. Deeply passionate about advocating for and taking action to maintain environmental health and sustainability, I aim to contribute meaningfully to these efforts by expanding my understanding of such challenges and collaborating with like-minded individuals who share a dedication to environmental conservation.   I have a particular interest in the nuanced, smaller-scale impacts of human activity on the environment, including the unintended genetic alterations that result from human intervention, a focus of the study I will be contributing to this summer, which is exploring the implications of large-scale assisted sowing for the UK’s native plant species within biodiversity management strategies. Specifically, my role in this ongoing study will involve conducting extensive data collection and literature reviews to identify native species most vulnerable to these interventions. In my free time, I actively participate in environmental volunteer work and love to do anything creative, from painting to crocheting and reading. I also enjoy spending time outdoors, particularly dog walking, and practising karate with my university club.
Mattheo Yang

Mathematics Student, EPFL

Hello ! I am Mattheo, a 17 year old French mathematics student at EPFL. Besides doing maths, I love cooking (@grosporc77 on Instagram) and I play the electric guitar. Don't hesitate to contact me !
Bhadra Panicker

Law and Business Student, Trinity College Dublin

Hello! My name is Bhadra, and I am a third-year Law and Business student at Trinity College Dublin. I am part of the 2025 cohort of Laidlaw Scholars. My Summer 1 research topic was 'Motherhood on Trial: A Comparative Analysis of the Miscarriage of Justice in Infanticide Cases', and I took an inter-jurisdictional perspective in examining three notable cases - those of Joanne Hayes, Sally Clarke and Kathleen Folbigg. I look forward to spending this summer working on Makesense Americas' Central LiA in Mexico City with Genera Territorios AC. The organisation works on financial empowerment, social inclusion and gender equity, and I am excited to support their aims. Through my work, my overarching goal is to highlight how women exist and are perceived within inherently oppressive social systems. If you have any questions or would like to reach out, please feel free to do so!
Rachel Lee

Biochemistry Student, UCL

Trisha Bhujle

Laidlaw Scholar Alumna & Former Laidlaw Scholars Advisory Board Member, Laidlaw Foundation

Hello! I’m Trisha, a graduate of Cornell University from Texas, USA. I majored in Environment and Sustainability with a dual focus on food systems and wildlife conservation, and minored in International Relations. My interests in combining my enduring passions for writing and wildlife conservation have driven me to explore multiple perspectives on highly-controversial issues such as trophy hunting, retaliatory animal killings, and illegal wildlife crime. Thus, during my first summer as a Laidlaw Scholar and as a member of the Morally Contested Conservation team, I wrote a literature review on the interconnectedness of climate change and human-wildlife conflicts in East and southern Africa. In June and July 2024, I furthered this research by traveling to the University of Oxford and to the Burunge Wildlife Management Area in Tanzania, and returned to Oxford and Burunge in June and July 2025 to report my results.  As an aspiring conservationist, I am passionate about making technical scientific information more accessible to the general public. I speak Marathi, Spanish, and Swahili at varying levels of fluency and plan to continue to grow my language skills to communicate conservation challenges across continents and cultures.  The Laidlaw Scholars Program was an invaluable component of my undergraduate experience. The friendships I made, as well as the research and language skills I began to develop, encouraged me to continue to ask and seek answers to complicated questions about global affairs and environmental science. If anyone has questions about the Laidlaw Program, is interested in collaborating, or just wants to say hello, please feel free to email me at trisha.bhujle@gmail.com!
Teesta Maulik

Medical Student, Imperial College London

Chang Jeffrey Sin To

Student, Imperial College

Active programmer very interested in science and solving global problems.
Szymon Kwidzinski

Student, Imperial College Lodon

I’m a Laidlaw Scholar at Imperial College London, studying Economics, Finance and Data Science, with a focus on applying data and economic tools to solve global environmental challenges. As Founder of See the Sea, I lead a youth-driven initiative protecting the Baltic Sea through scientific education, community engagement, and policy advocacy: recognized with national awards and backed by successful fundraising campaigns. I’m currently creating a short film about the Baltic, exploring fifty years of environmental and social change through a blend of storytelling and visual art. I’m passionate about sustainable finance, climate data, and storytelling that drives impact. Through the Laidlaw network, I hope to connect with fellow scholars working at the intersection of leadership, science, and global change.  
Zachary Hobart

Medical Student , Imperial College

Hi! I’m Zach — a fifth-year medical student at Imperial College London, and an Honorary Clinical Research Fellow at the Royal Brompton Hospital, one of the world’s leading cardiothoracic centres. My work sits at the intersection of critical care medicine, health-services evaluation, and data-driven translational science. Through my Laidlaw project, EQUALISE, I built geospatial and temporal analyses of national ECMO referrals to investigate equity of access to extracorporeal life support across the UK — working alongside clinicians, NHS England commissioners, and regional networks to turn data into evidence that shapes service planning. The analytical pipelines were subsequently adopted by the National ECLS Service Evaluation. For my Leadership-in-Action project, I’m working as a Clinical & Scientific Fellow with the Africa Clinical Research Network (ACRN), helping design a federated, African-led real-world evidence platform.  Back in the lab, my current research investigates gas-phase metabolomic signatures during cardiopulmonary bypass, working toward novel non-invasive diagnostics. Outside research, you’ll find me at bachata and salsa socials across London!
Soumil Sahjpall

Founder, Ducky Drones

Una Ding

Physics Student, Imperial College London

Charlene Kok

Student, Imperial College London

Sivanky Uthayakumar

medical student, imperial college london

Hi, i'm a medical student from Imperial College London! My research project is on assessing the environmental footprint of aesthetic medical practice. As aesthetic procedures are becoming more accessible, I hope my work will help build the framework for the development of standardised auditing tools that will push for a more sustainable aesthetic industry.  If you would like to know more do drop a message, and I would love to hear about what you are working on!
Catherine James

Medical Student, Imperial College

Lana Wang

Mechanical Engineering Student , Imperial College London

Eleanor Goulding

Student , Imperial College London

Hi everyone, I am Eleanor and I am an undergraduate leadership and research scholar! My project will focus in on the implementation of SDGs into large corporations and analysis using natural language processing and machine learning to compare raw data against what the companies are outputting. This will provide patterns of data on a global scale and will assist in promoting the most effective methods for invoking sustainability.  Sustainability is extremely important to me and I am part of the sustainability committee within my university. Aside from that I am also interested in hiking, climbing, cycling and music.  I am looking forward to my leadership in action project and I am aiming to help establish environmentally sustainable mitigation practices in a community affected greatly by climate change. 
Akash Liu

Student, Imperial College London